Does Your Logo Measure Up?

Guest Post by Tea Silvestre, The Word Chef

Before you spend some serious dough getting that logo designed (or redesigned), there are a few things you should know:

1. All graphic designers are NOT created equal; and

2. Your logo needs to do a whole lot more than look pretty on your business card.

I see these mistakes all the time:

Somebody has their brother’s friend’s nephew design the logo. Or they do it themselves. Or they get a college student to do it. All great ideas IF that person knows what the heck they’re doing AND you’ve properly informed them of the story behind your brand.

What? You didn’t know your brand had a back story? Well, it does. And there’s the front story that needs to be included, too.

Your logo will become one of the most important symbols for telling your brand’s story. Don’t mess it up!

Here are some questions you MUST answer about your own business and then properly convey to your graphic designer:

What sets my company apart from others?
What services or products does my company provide?
Why should people choose my company over my competitors?
Who are my main competitors? (And what do their logos look like?)
Why was my company founded?
What motivated me to start this business/organization?
If I had to describe my company/organization in one word, what would it be? why?
If my customers had to describe my company/organization in one word, what would it be? why?
(If you’re redesigning…) What is the reason for modifying or redesigning my logo?
What is the vision and mission of my company?
Does my company have a tagline or slogan that should be included with the logo?
What do I hope my company will be known for?
Why does my company use the colors, fonts, etc. that is does?
What is my preference in reference to icons, typography, spokespeople (characters), etc.?
What restrictions, if any, might there be on the logo?
What words or icons must be included in the logo?
What logos do I like and why?
What logos do I dislike and why?
What are the likely occasions in which this logo will be used?
Who is my ideal customer and what kind of person is she/he
Which gender am I targeting?
What is the average income level of my target audience?

That’s a lot of questions, right? Here are a few for YOU to ask your designer:

How many file types will you provide me with when we’re done? (You want ALL of them — including the raw vector files.)
Does your pricing include multiple versions of the final logo? (You want something that will work horizontally as well as fit in a nice square box; you also want something in all black and in reverse-out white; AND don’t forget the logo with and without any graphic elements)
Will I own the copyright to my own logo? (You want this!)
Will this logo look good at 150 pixels wide? (That’s teeny, tiny — make sure yours does!)

Put some serious thought into your logo and it will serve you well for at least a year or two (maybe more — just depends on how well YOU stick with your business goals).

About the Author: Tea Silvestre (aka The Word Chef) is a gastronaut, marketing coach and the author of “Attract and Feed a Hungry Crowd: How thinking like a Chef can help you build a solid business.” Learn how to cook up your own “Secret Sauce” when you download her free workbook and video tutorial: “9 Steps to Create an Addicting Brand.” http://thewordchef.com/landing/nine-steps-to-find-your-secret-sauce-2/ or follow her on Twitter: @TeaSilvestre.

Dorien Morin-van Dam

What a great post! I originally had my ‘neighbors’ cousins’ nephew’ design my first logo and it sure looked like it. Not much thought went into it. Then I hired a real smart and amazing designer who put everything I wanted and needed into my logo! I just LOVE my branding. 🙂 It is worth it. It is soooo worth it!
- Melanie Kissell
  
  Happy you caught this post, Dorien.
  
  Tea is … well … deliciously brilliant! 🙂
  
  I believe the majority of us have made that grave error of having the wrong person/people put their (well-meaning) mitts into our branding. And then, miraculously one fine day, we come to our branding senses! LOL!
Lorie

Great article!! It came in perfect timing for me because I’m in the process
of putting up my website and just found someone to help me create a great logo.
Thanks again:)
- Jason “J-Ryze” Fonceca
  
  Lorie! I’m super psyched for you — I’m soooo passionate about logos, and just released Ryze’s Official Logo — *as well as the story of it’s creation, from start to finish.*
  
  I go deep into it here — http://ryzeonline.com/logo-mysteries , I think it’s a great complimentary story to Tea’s article, and I feel like she’d high five me for it 🙂
  
  Right Tea? (Nice to see you over at Firepole yesterday too :D)
K. Lewis

I just had a new logo designed for my site, and I wish I had read this post sooner. I like my logo, but now I question: does it really tell who I am ? I’m not sure I can answer that question.

Having a logo that “sticks”, as you mentioned, is all part of your whole marketing and branding strategy.
Carlie

I really stressed at first over my logo. But once I hired a professional artist, I was relieved how easier the process became. Your tips for the future are extremely insightful and helpful.
- Melanie Kissell
  
  That first logo is always a doozie, Carlie! 😉
  
  Happy you’ve enjoyed Tea’s guest post and helpful tips. Please swing by again soon.
AddieRonald

Hi!Being unique from others really counts especially in business logos.Thanks Melanie for sharing!This is essential on online marketing especially today that competition is very tight.
- Melanie Kissell
  
  Thanks for sharing your take on this topic, Addie — so glad you stopped by to catch Tea’s guest post!
  
  Be sure to look her up online if you haven’t already made the connection. She’s a real sweetheart and she’s brilliant. 🙂
Jason “J-Ryze” Fonceca

Oooooh… I’ve designed tons of logos in my life as a designer.

Can I share my experiences? Can I huh?

At first I thought I just had to make ’em sexy. – i did ok.

Then I discovered they work best if they’re simple + reproducible. – i did better.

Then I found they needed to creatively express the company as well. – even better.

Then I closed my design business, put it on the back burner, and learned a ton about marketing, promotion, branding, brand-expression + assets and the Icing On The Cake —

Symbolism, icons, and elements.

In my opinion, if your designer does not have a some background and confidence in the timeless principles and transcendent power of symbols, you probably don’t want them doing your logo. 😉

I keep Ryze’s branding arm on the down-low, accepting only very personal, word-of-mouth recommendations, but hey, it felt like time to speak up 😀
- Melanie Kissell
  
  Hi Jason
  
  Oh, boy! Thanks for sharing a lap full of logo!! 😉
  
  Didn’t know you had logo designing in your portfolio.
  I love the way your journey played out. 🙂
Richa@seo firm

These are great tips. A logo is surely something that defines a company and proper attention should be given to it. Thanks for this great piece of info.
- Melanie Kissell
  
  Don’t thank me, Richa …
  Tea Silvestre is the branding and logo maven here! 🙂
  
  Happy you landed on my blog and found some value in Tea’s guest post.
BarryCrow

These questions have waken me up. I agree with the logo that it should be look unique and that it should not be similar to some other competitor’s. Creativity is one of the key to this thing. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Melanie.
Becca

Nice info which will be prove so useful for all blogger and online marketers. That kind of activities also make very good and nice way to search our destination.
Rich

I’m an infrequent visitor to this blog, but for some reason this morning I came over for a quick look. I was pleasantly surprised to find this post from Tea, all about logos. Coincidentally, a very close friend and I are just now starting to look at designing a logo for a little company that we are in the process of giving birth to.
I can’t tell you how nice it is to find all this great information in a single post. My close friend is already very knowledgable about this subject, but after reading this post I can maybe discuss things with her a little more intelligently LOL!

Thank you,

Rich
143
- Melanie Kissell
  
  Thanks for knocking on my door today, Rich, and welcome back!
  
  A logo is a vital part of your brand’s identity. (Think Nike, Pepsi, Zappos, M&M’s, etc.)
  
  In my opinion, the biggest goal is to work toward creating a logo that’s “Sticky” — one that resonates with your target audience in that it’s easily recognizable and it holds some kind of meaning or connotation for them.
  In other words, you want your logo to “stick” with your audience. Hopefully, in the forefront of their minds. 😉
  
  I’m glad you dropped in to read Tea’s guest post. She’s one smart cookie!
  
  Sounds like you’re in good hands with your close friend. 🙂
  Hope you’ll come back again soon,
  Melanie
  143
Alex Peskou

Most all thought the logo is created much later than the business was on its feet, and rightly so, what sense fooling with the logo if there is no operating business. This can afford only a powerful corporation….
- Melanie Kissell
  
  No question about it, Alex …
  
  It’s a time-consuming (sometimes very expensive) and fruitless effort to create a logo if you don’t yet have your other business ducks lined up in a row. However, in all fairness, there are exceptions — depending on the type of product and/or service you’re marketing.
  
  Thanks for the visit!
Hiten

Hi Tea,

There was some great advice in your post about logos. Thank you.

Mel, thanks for introducing us to Tea.

I still haven’t had one done. I’m now thinking perhaps it would be worthwhile having one…
- Melanie Kissell
  
  Hiten, I’m so pleased you’ve taken this opportunity to meet Tea — she’s an amazing Word Chef!
  
  By all means …
  Start the logo-creating process! 🙂
Sonia

Great insight and perfect timing. I am revamping mine and these were the questions I needed to see to make sure the next design is tailored towards my goals. I love the original design, but I have outgrown it and my focus is changing. I think when logos are created, we don’t know what the hell we are doing in the beginning where we end up with something that doesn’t quite fit the bill and then your inundated with revisions that cost you money.
- Melanie Kissell
  
  Spoken like a TRUE EXPERT, Sonia! 🙂
  
  You’re eons ahead of others by the sheer fact you’ve recognized you’ve “outgrown” your logo. Good for you.
  
  I will definitely go along with your thinking here …
  ” … we don’t know what the hell we are doing in the beginning where we end up with something that doesn’t quite fit the bill.”
  I can’t help but believe very few people get it right the first time. 😉
  
  Wonderful to see you here!!
- Jason “J-Ryze” Fonceca
  
  Sonia! I didn’t even realize you were in on this discussion 🙂
  
  I second Melanie — you are definitely ahead of the game — your logo has MEANING 😉
Carol Lynn

Wow, super tips, I would like to borrow you the next time I’m trying to explain to someone why they can’t have a $99 logo. Those are also excellent questions to ask a designer. The $99 ones will probably look at you crosseyed. But I work with a lot of people who have logos and don’t have any artwork so there’s no way to do anything or design anything without using the single jpg they managed to get or keep. Least favorite job: recreating a logo because my client has no clue or way to locate artwork. I hope many, many people read this!
- Melanie Kissell
  
  Many thanks for sharing your insights, Carol Lynn!
  
  I’ll second this motion BIG TIME …
  “I hope many, many people read this!”
  
  Sounds like you’ve made lots of return trips to logo land. 😉
  
  Melanie
- Tea Silvestre
  
  I feel your pain, Carol Lynn! If I only had a $1 for every client I’ve had to help fix their budget logo, I’d be able to retire now. That’s why we gotta educate folks and help them understand just how important it is to do it right from the get-go. Thanks for sharing your experiences, too!
Annie Sisk (Stage Presence)

Great suggestions, for sure, Tea. I think it’s especially hard for folks who aren’t visually bent to approach “the logo project” – translating ephemeral intangibles like “business personality” and “purpose” and “mission” to a visual image can seem like trying to smell music.
- Melanie Kissell
  
  Hey Annie — thanks a heap for swinging by!
  
  I LOVE this remark …
  ” … can seem like trying to smell music”
  And toooooo true! 🙂
  
  Melanie
- Tea Silvestre
  
  Yes! Which is why you’ve got to find a designer who CAN smell music. (you’ll know you’ve found the right person when they ask some of these same questions). Come to think of it, maybe we should add that one, too: “if your music had an aroma, what would it smell like?”